February 10, 2015
UNC School of Information and Library Science (SILS) alumna Emily Hurst (MSLS ’08) has been hired as the new Head of the Research and Education Department at the Tompkins-McCaw Library for Health Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University. Hurst began this position in January and looks forward to the opportunities the job will provide.
“I am very excited to be a part of a diverse health science library with a strong liaison program,” Hurst said. “I most look forward to the challenges and opportunities that working in library management will bring. I am focused on the continued development of a successful liaison model that further integrates library support with the faculty, students, research and clinical staff in order to better meet the information needs of the digital age.”
Before beginning her work at VCU, Hurst served as the Technology Coordinator for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region (NN/LM SCR) in Houston, Texas. In this position, Hurst taught instructional courses on new technologies and provided NN/LM SCR members information on how to integrate these technologies into their libraries. She feels that her experiences at SILS enabled her to become a strong asset in this job and will be just as instrumental in her new position.
“Through my time at SILS I was able to participate in a variety of classes that taught me a great deal about different aspects of librarianship,” she said. “I have always been interested in library management as well the professional mentorship of medical librarians. Through SILS I learned valuable lessons about collaboration and team management that I look forward to applying in my new role.”
